B’nai B’rith praises the United States Department of State for authorizing a second-round filing period for French Holocaust victims, survivors and their families to obtain restitution as part of the U.S.-France Agreement compensation program. Claimants who missed the deadline the first time will be able to submit a claim until Jan. 20, 2017.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of State “Approximately 30 survivors of deportation and some surviving spouses have received payment or are about to receive payment. We have also begun making payments to heirs of survivors and surviving spouses who are no longer alive.”

In 2014, the U.S. Department of State signed a restitution deal that made $60 million available to victims or heirs of victims who were deported from France to concentration camps by the National Society of French Railways (SNCF). B’nai B’rith attended this historic signing ceremony.

SNCF transferred more than 70,000 Jews to concentration camps. Only about 2,000 of those victims survived the Holocaust. While most deportees living in France were already eligible for compensation, those in the United States and around the world have sought redress for years.

Second-round submissions must be postmarked by Jan. 20, 2017 to receive consideration. Submissions may be emailed to DeportationClaims@state.gov, faxed to 202-776-8389, or mailed to:

B’nai B’rith International mourns the loss of Israeli elder statesman Shimon Peres, who died on Sept. 27 at the age of 93.

The history of the State of Israel cannot be written without including Peres and his myriad accomplishments during a nearly 70-year career in public service.

Though he retired as president in 2014, he continued to remain a vibrant face of the Jewish state, hosting conferences and meeting with world leaders.

From his early political days as Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Defense in 1952, to his time as the nation’s prime minister (a post he held three times), Peres was a central figure in Israel's political life over a period of nearly seven decades. He was widely respected and well received on the global stage.

His accomplishments include winning the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize when he was Foreign Minister for peace talks that resulted in the Oslo Accords.

We join the people of Israel in mourning his loss. May his memory be a blessing.

Photos of Shimon Peres and B'nai B'rith Throughout the Years

Condolences from AHEPA

Click below to read a condolence letter from our friends at The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA).​

​B’nai B’rith International called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to adopt a working definition of anti-Semitism during its Human Dimension Implementation Meeting today in Warsaw, Poland. Eric Fusfield, deputy director of the B'nai B'rith International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy, spoke on the global epidemic of anti-Semitism.

“The rise of anti-Jewish hatred has...resulted in a proliferation of anti-Semitic propaganda, much of which is directed against the State of Israel. Tragically, the demonization and delegitimization of the Jewish state has become a daily occurrence, as Israel’s enemies repeatedly accuse it of being a Nazi-like occupier and an apartheid state that disenfranchises the Palestinians. Falsehoods about Israel are repeated so often that they become widely accepted in the popular culture and sometimes impact government policy,” Fusfield said.

Fusfield noted that, in response to anti-Semitic attacks, about 10,000 Jews emigrated from Western Europe to Israel last year—the highest number the region has ever seen. He also discussed the declining number of European Jews who feel safe practicing their Judaism openly.

The task of educating and engaging the public about anti-Semitism necessitates a common definition that clearly illustrates the problem. Following formal approval by the OSCE of such a tool, Fusfield said, the working definition "should then be widely promoted within the OSCE to educate public officials, journalists, and others about the contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism."

Fusfield continued, “While much has been done to fight anti-Semitism in the past decade or more, much work remains. The need for practical and effective strategies to combat and defeat this pathology is still crucial.

B'nai B'rith Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin and Director of U.N. and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels met with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis and Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs met with B'nai B'rith leadership at our New York offices.

​A B’nai B’rith International delegation, led by B’nai B’rith President Gary P. Saltzman and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin, met with dozens of world leaders during the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York throughout this week. Our delegation included B’nai B’rith volunteers and staff, as well as students and staff from the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity (AEPi), a B’nai B’rith partner.

During these meetings, the delegation discussed Iranian support for terrorism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the rise in global anti-Semitism. Among the dozens of scheduled meetings were discussions with: President of Argentina Mauricio Macri; President of Poland Andrzej Duda; President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Foreign Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault.

“Addressing issues at the United Nations is an important part of our global advocacy on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people. Our meetings with these presidents, foreign ministers, diplomats and ambassadors give us the platform to create an open dialogue that raises awareness of the plight Jews have to face around the world,” B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman said.

On Sept. 22, during his general debate speech Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said, “Israel’s racial discrimination against the Palestinian people has become a daily reality.”

“Abbas’ rhetoric is deplorable, Palestinians continue to use the United Nations and its agencies to delegitimize Israel at every turn, especially at agencies like UNESCO, the Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “Our efforts at the U.N. this week focused to a large extent on the double standard Israel faces at the world body.”

A number of these meetings, coordinated by B’nai B’rith, also included the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Anti-Defamation League, the World Jewish Congress and NCSEJ.

B’nai B’rith has been present at the United Nations since its founding. Engaging with world leaders and the United Nations machine is imperative to changing the anti-Israel animus that has become pervasive across the world body.

The B’nai B’rith delegation includes Peter Perlman, chairman of the executive; Sheila Mostyn senior vice president; Stephen Stern, member of the Executive Board of Directors; Michael Nachman, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member; Larry Magid, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member; Millie Magid, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member; and Andy Borans, Board of Governors member and executive director of B’nai B’rith’s partner, the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity (AEPi). In addition, student participants from AEPi include: Charlie Cohen, Bradley University; Ari Goldstein, Georgetown University; Noah Mikell, University of Minnesota; Ryan Baill, Georgia State University; Josh Friedland, University of Washington; and AEPi staff members David Marias and Jason Selby. B’nai B’rith International Director of U.N. and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels and Program Officer for U.N. Affairs Oren Drori are coordinating the meetings.

B’nai B’rith International has sent disaster relief aid to Baton Rouge, La. to help flash flood victims. In mid-August Baton Rouge, La. received 19 inches of rain, and some other areas of Louisiana got at least 30 inches in one day. Many are calling it the worst natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy. Thousands of homes, schools and businesses have been destroyed.

Harold Steinberg, chair of B’nai B’rith International’s Disaster Relief Committee, is representing B’nai B’rith in cleanup activities in conjunction with aid group NECHAMA on Monday and Tuesday. B’nai B’rith presented a check of $15,000 to NECHAMA, to help rebuild not only Baton Rouge, but other areas impacted by a natural disaster. Our donation, along with funds from other donors, will help NECHAMA purchase a supply truck that will be used to bring supplies, tools and other equipment.

We also donated disaster relief funds of $4,400 to the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana (A+PEL) to purchase new school supplies that were destroyed in the floods. B’nai B’rith also donated to A+PEL a selection of books from the B’nai B’rith Diverse Minds Writing Challenge, a contest where high school students write and illustrate children’s books to help elementary school children celebrate tolerance and diversity.

B’nai B’rith has regularly provided disaster relief at the local, national and international levels since 1865. In spring of 2016, B’nai B’rith opened a Disaster Relief Fund for the wildfire victims in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada and for the victims of the earthquakes that occurred in Ecuador and Japan.

B’nai B’rith International will meet with dozens of world leaders during the course of the week, on the sidelines of the opening of the United Nations 71st General Assembly. B’nai B’rith President Gary P. Saltzman and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin, along with other key B’nai B’rith leaders and staff, will discuss Iranian support for terrorism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the rise in global anti-Semitism in these meetings.

A number of the meetings, coordinated by B’nai B’rith, will also include the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Anti-Defamation League, the World Jewish Congress and NCSEJ.

The B’nai B’rith delegation is meeting with the President of Argentina Mauricio Macri, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Foreign Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault, among many other world leaders throughout the week.

The B’nai B’rith delegation includes Peter Perlman, chairman of the executive; Sheila Mostyn senior vice president; Stephen Stern, member of the Executive Board of Directors; Michael Nachman, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member; Larry Magid, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member; Millie Magid, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member; and Andy Borans, Board of Governors member and executive director of B’nai B’rith’s partner, the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity (AEPi). In addition, student participants from AEPi include: Charlie Cohen, Bradley University; Ari Goldstein, Georgetown University; Noah Mikell, University of Minnesota; Ryan Baill, Georgia State University; Josh Friedland, University of Washington; and AEPi staff members David Marias and Jason Selby. B’nai B’rith International Director of U.N. and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels and Program Officer for U.N. Affairs Oren Drori are coordinating the meetings.

B’nai B’rith Young Professionals in Europe were treated to a perfect summers’ day in London’s Regents Park at this year’s annual Klezmer in the Park festival, organized by the Jewish Music Institute on Sept. 11.

B’nai B’rith Young Professionals enjoyed a free Moroccan Bazaar-style picnic as they chilled to the tunes and feel-good vibes in the sun. This year’s lineup featured Lorin Sklamberg and the London Klezmer Allstars, followed by The Turbans, The London Bulgarian Choir and Simo Lagnawi, plus a guembri player and Gnawa master.

A few young families, who had made their way from the Kids’ Zone in the main tent, stopped by to socialize, listen to the music and enjoy some food. More than 75 people came to the B’nai B’rith picnic area to enjoy good company and learn more about the organization.

The picnic area was set up near the Kids’ Zone, close to Regents Park’s boating lake, and had gold, claret and turquoise shimmering fabrics laid out on the ground. Large oversized cushions in orange, turquoise, coral, royal blue, green and beige were strewn around to complete the Moroccan look. Posts with large blue and white B’nai B’rith logos, mounted on bamboo sticks, were stationed around to denote the area.The picnickers enjoyed a variety of Middle-Eastern dishes, provided by Hendon Bagel Bakery. The music from the bandstand got everyone in high spirits as the picnic area filled out as people danced on the sides, chatted and sampled the dishes. The afternoon finished on a high note as the last band closed the show, while the last rays were still shining.

The environment has been central to Judaism since Genesis. Due to rising temperatures around the world, climate change has become a much more pressing issue. In response, organized Judaism and Jewish environmentalist groups have worked actively to address the issue and attempt to stop global warming.

B’nai B’rith International is appalled, but sadly unsurprised, by the latest expression of bigotry against the world's only Jewish state—and indifference to the lives of its citizens of all backgrounds—by two "ecumenical" groups with a long history of finding in agitation against Israel a convenient rallying cause and springboard for greater public visibility.

The Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC) and the New York-based National Council of Churches (NCC) held a joint "consultation" this week near Washington, D.C., ostensibly intended to mobilize on promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace. But the groups made overt their utter disinterest in balance, nuance and constructiveness, preferring instead to find a scapegoat for continued conflict in Israel, the Middle East's sole democracy and a rare regional country home to continuously growing Christian and other minority populations.

The WCC and NCC— which clearly do not represent all Christians, many of whom see care for Jews and Israelis as vital, not antithetical, to advancing peace and justice—know that their continued anti-Israel agitation will not result in adverse effects for Christian inhabitants of and visitors to that country.

Conversely, the embracing of vicious anti-Israel dogma is considered all too obligatory in many Middle Eastern and other states, not least those home to vulnerable Christians. Thus, a small number of Christian organizations apparently see fit to join in unjustly and obsessively attacking Israel while remaining quiet on the records of so many counterparts, in the region and beyond, with immeasurably less honorable records in making sacrifices for peace and upholding human rights.

A statement by the heads of the WCC and NCC, issued after their consultation, asserted that "no people should be denied their rights for generations" and that Israel "has commanding power... and, thus, bears special responsibility for taking the initiative" to achieve peace. It also singled out the United States with a specific call to curb vital defense aid to Israel and to ensure impunity for campaigns urging economic discrimination "to influence policy in Israel."

No similar pressure tactics were advocated— and no specific criticism or demands were leveled—at any Arab government or group, or their backers. Israelis are not seen among those denied rights, and the dozens of Muslim states, let alone violent non-state actors answerable to no one, are not seen to wield any power or serious obligations.

By maintaining this posture of double standards and one-way vilification, the WCC and NCC have again shown themselves to be unprepared to contribute to actual peacemaking—and complicit in morally corrupt efforts to isolate, demonize and harm the world's only Jewish country.

B’nai B’rith commends the United States and Israel for finalizing a military aid deal for the next decade. The landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which speaks to the close security cooperation between the two countries, will provide Israel with a total of $38 billion. This amounts to a pledge of about $3.8 billion a year to the Jewish state, starting in 2019 and concluding in 2028.

This largest-ever U.S. aid package demonstrates the strong bipartisan support Israel enjoys in the United States, as it was negotiated by the administration and backed by a majority of Senate and House members of both parties. The MOU signals America’s commitment to Israel’s security at time of instability in a hostile Middle East.

As a result of the MOU, America’s most reliable democratic ally in the Middle East will become better equipped to defend itself against the unprecedented threats it faces from authoritarian regimes and terrorist organizations. The agreement represents an important investment not only in Israel’s security, but in U.S. national security interests.